Phil Brown fined over Arsenal referee comments

Phil Brown, the manager of Hull City, has been fined £2,500 for improper comments he made about referee Mike Riley following an ill-tempered FA Cup match with Arsenal in March after which Brown also accused Cesc Fabregas of spitting.

Brown had denied the charge but it was found proven at a Football Association regulatory commission hearing on Wednesday. Included in his reprimand was a warning about Brown's future conduct.

The match was one of the most controversial of last season – Hull accusing Fabregas, who was not part of the match day squad, of spitting at the feet of assistant manager Brian Horton, although the Arsenal captain was cleared by the FA after he too was charged with improper conduct.

The FA said in a statement: "At a regulatory commission hearing today, Hull City manager Phil Brown was fined £2,500.

"Brown denied a charge of improper conduct and/or bringing the game into disrepute in relation to media comments concerning the referee Mike Riley, made following Hull's FA Cup tie against Arsenal at the Emirates Stadium on 17 March.

"At the hearing today, Brown was fined and warned as to his future conduct."